Flue-stopper



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANGIE MARY TRACY, 0]? RYAN, IOWA.

FLUE-STOPPER.

Application filed April 12,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANGIE MARY. TRACY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ryan, in the county of Delaware and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flue-Stoppers; and I do hereby declare the following to be full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it apperta ins to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in flue stoppers.

The object of thisinvention is to'provide a device capaelo of being applied to a horizontal opening in a chimney wall, for closing the same after the stove pipe has been removed therefrom, thus preventing the soot or other dirt from the flue from being blown into the room when the stove pipe is removed.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a stopper including a sleeve which is adapted to be fitted in a horizontal opening in the chimney wall and it is pro vided with spring arms having angularly extending ends adapted to engage the inner wall of the chimney to prevent the sleeve from being accidentally displaced.

A still further object ofthis invention is to provide a sleeve having a cap and spring arms secured to the cap and adapted to engage the flue wall to retain the sleeve in the flue opening, and means connected to the arms for drawing them toward one another to permit the sleeve to be readily and quickly removed therefrom when it is desired to place the stove pipe therein.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a fine topper of this character, which will be simple, practical and comparatively inexpensive in construction and one that can be manufactured and sold at a low cost.

lVith these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and set forth in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings;

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the manner in which the flue or chimney stopper is arranged in the horizontal opening of the flue.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same.

hike numerals of reference designate cor- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented luay 11 192() ing the usual stove pipe receiving opening 2.

My improved flue stopper includes a cylindrical sleeve 3 adapted to be removably' arranged in the opening 2. A cap 4: having an annular flange 5 is removably arranged over one open end of the sleeve 3, as illustrated in Fig. 1. A disk 6 of greater diameter than the cap 4: is rigidly secured to the outer side thereof by suitable fastening means designated 7. The disk 6 and caps are provided centrally witlralined open-- ings 8.

A U-shaped member 9, constructed of suitable spring metal, has its bight portion secured to the interior of the cap 4: by the rivets 7 and is provided centrally with an opening 11 adapted to aline with the open ings 8 in the cap and disk 6, as illustrated. The arm portions 12 of the U-shaped member 9 engage the interior of the sleeve 3 and extend out of the rear open end thereof and are bent angularly as at 13 for engagement with the inner side of the chimney flue for retaining the sleeve against accidental dis placement. The resiliency of the metal of which the U-shaped member 9 is made firmly retains the arms in aneXtended position and in engagement with the inner wall of the sleeve 3, as illustrated. The arms are provided adjacent their angularly bent ends with laterally extending eyes 14 to which are p ivotally secured the ends of the flexible members 15 as at 16. The free ends of the flexible members 15 extend out through the opening 11 in the U-shaped member and out through and beyond the surface of the disk 6, as illustrated, and are connected by a suitable connecting ring 17, which ring facilitates the drawing outwardly through the openings 8 and 11 the flexible members 15 which in turn draw the arms 12 of the Ushaped member toward one another, thus releasing the angularly bent ends 13 from their engagement with. the wall of the flue and permitting the sleeve to be readily removed from the flue opening 2 and a stove pipe or the like substituted.

From an inspection of Fig. 1 it will be readily seen that when this cap is in place it fits about one end portion of the sleeve 3 with the disk 6 engaging the outer face of the chimney and the arms 12 extending through the sleeve and having their hooked ends 13 engaging the inner face of the chim ney. The cap will therefore be very securely held in place but may be easily removed when desired by simply drawing upon the rods 15 through the medium of the ring 17 to release the arm 12 and permit them to be drawn through the sleeve.

What is claimed is: V

1. A flue'stopper including a cylindrical sleeve, .a disk arranged at one end of the sleeve andhaving a centrally arranged opening, a U-shaped member arranged within the sleeve and securedto the disk and having spring arms disposed parallel to the longitudinaliaxis of the sleeve, the forward portions of the spring arms being extended out wardly for engaging one wall of a flue, eyes i, carried by the :forward portions of the spring arms, flexible elements connected to the eyes and extending through the opening disk, and means to secure the U-shaped mem- 2 her to said disk. 7

2. A device of the character described comprising a sleeve, a cap fitting upon one end of the sleeve, a disk connected with the cap and of greater diameter than the cap, a U-shaped securing device of resilient material connected with the inner face of the cap and having its arms extending through the sleeve and terminating in hooked end portions extending outwardly and laterally '35 from the sleeve, flexible members loosely con-V nected wlth the. arms and extending longitudinally between the same in converging l'GlELtlOILilIlCl having free. ends extending through registering openings formed in the cap and disk, and means connecting said free ends of said rods.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses. V r

- 7 ANGIE MARY TRACY. Witnesses JOHN M. BRAYTON,

F. S. TRAoY. 

